End closure means for containers having tubular bodies



Jan. 1, 1963 SHINICHI SAWAl 3,071,281

END CLOSURE MEANS FOR CONTAINERS HAVING TUBULAR BODIES Filed Feb. 15, 1960 32 48 SHINICHI SAWAI INVENTOR.

l2 l6 Lo- TM United States Patent Gfiice 3,071,281 Patented Jan. 1, 1963 3,071,281 END CLOSURE MEANS FOR CONTAINERS HAVING TUBULAR BODIES Shinichi Sawai, Tokyo, Japan, assignor of one-half to Kaichi Seko, Seattle, Wash. Filed Feb. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 8,726 1 Claim. (Cl. 22t}4) This present invention relates to the general art of containers, especially those used for food products, beverages, cosmetics and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to containers which have body portions that are made from thin walled tubing of seamed or seamless sheet stock such as tin, coated steel or firm plastic material.

The packaging of goods for home consumption poses many problems and situations that are not encountered in many commercial institutions such as restaurants and the like. The distinction arises from the fact that when various products are bought in containers for home use a great proportion of such filled containers are normally only partially emptied and must then be closed and stored many times under refrigeration for subsequent use. In certain cases it is desirable to use the purchased container for serving the contents. This is quite commonly experienced with beverages, sandwich spreads and foods of similar usage. In all these cases it is always necessary to keep the cost of the container down to a minimum in order that the sales package will be competitively priced. It is believed that my present invention solves many of these problems in that a container is provided having a body that can be most economically produced even in small quantities by the processor or packager of the goods.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a container having a thin walled, rigid, tubular body closed at each end by plastic rims and which rims in turn support end closure sealing means.

A further object of this present invention is to provide a container having a tubular body, both ends of which are rolled inwardly and engaged by plastic rims so as to avoid presenting any raw metal body or edge portions either internally or externally of the container, as is especially desirable for beverage use.

A further object of this present invention is to provide a container having a tubular body and end closure members which as a matter of child safety against poisons require specific manipulation of the closure relative to the container in order to effect removal of the contents from the container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a container having a body portion of particularly economical construction and which body can be removed from the end closure members and conveniently disposed of.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended or are inherent in the containers structure.

FIGURE 1 is a bracketed perspective view showing one embodiment of my present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation partly in section showing the employment of my principles on an elongated container body.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of a typical joining between the body portion and the plastic rim closure member when internal pressures are employed.

'FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical elevation showing a frictional engagement between the tubular body and the plastic rim which is very convenient and practical where excess internal pressures are not encountered.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts numeral 10 designates the body of a container made after the teachings of my present invention. This body may be made of several different materials, one of the cheapest being tinclad steel such as is normally employed in tin cans. Such bodies are made of metal of sufiicient thickness to be relatively rigid and are normally seamed on one side in order that the body can be economically formed of thin sheet stock. For certain uses particularly where the internal pressures are not excessive and where the joint between the body and the plastic rim is of the type shown in 'FIGURE 4, it has been found that plastic or fiber materials, which are relatively rigid when formed in a tube, are very satisfactory. There are many advantages of this form of construction in that a small processor or packager may buy tubing in long lengths and cut in lengths to suit his need and then apply the end closure members to produce a commercially usable container.

The plastic end closure member 12 is formed as a rim having groove means at 14 to engage the end of the tubular body It), and being provided preferably with an annular curved surface 16 to insure that the contents of the container can be entirely poured out as no annular ledge is provided for the collection of the last part of the contents. Interiorly, above the curved surface 16 is provided a cylindrical wall portion 18. This wall portion may be modified by a shallow annular step 20 at its inner edge for uses to. be explained later. The outside of rim 12 is preferably provided with external threads 22 which are adapted to accept the well developed pressure sealing members, one example of which is illustrated by cap 24. Caps of this order are normally supplied for fruit jars for home canning and the like and are provided with interior threads 26 adapted to coact with the external threads 22 thus providing a means for seating the sealing cap 24 with considerable pressure so that, if desirable, a ring gasket may be employed at 30.

Groove 14 may be made after the showing particularly of FIGURES 2 and 3 in which a fiat portion 32 is provided as an abutment for the tooled-in top 34 of the tubular body 10. The upper surface of groove 14 as 36 is preferably provided in a form to fit the outside curve of the top of body 10 and in this way a tight juncture can be made between the body and the top which will prevent a lodging groove for dust and the like and at the same time provide an adequate overlaying guard or protection for the upper margin of the tubular body, which under manufacturing process may be raw or ragged.

In its modified form the annular groove, referred to as 14 in FIGURES 2 and 3, is modified in FIGURE 4 to accept a top margin of body 10 which is only slightly sprung inwardly as indicated at 40. In this instance the rim as modified and indicated as 42 employs an interior conical end portion 44 as is true of the other form also to provide a guide for evenly and easy guiding of the top edge of body 10 as it progresses upwardly on taper 44 until the modified groove 46 is reached. In this form the upper surface still conforms to the upper margin of body 10 but in this instance it is conical as indicated at 48 and extends out far enough so that the outer wall 50 of the modified plastic rim will still fully cover the possible raw cut edges of body 10 and thus protect the users of the container.

The forming of the upper margin of body 10 Where it engages rim 12 or the modified form 42 is normally tool formed and the exact manner of forming it will of course conform to the physical properties of the body stock from which body 10 is made. Spinning, peening or die forming of these ends will follow well established practice and it is not believed necessary to detail such operations in this disclosure as they are very well known.

As one of the most convenient and economical sealing means for the container is the metal cap 24, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, it is often desirable to have means which permit the inspection of the products within the container prior to sale. This capacity is very desirable when it is to be remembered that the container itself also is normally opaque. To overcome this deficiency a ring is provided at 60 adapted to seat in step 20 as previously noted which is preferably cemented in place with one of the resinous cements which does not set firm as it is desirable to be able to remove ring 60 when the contents of the container are being used. Secured, as by cementing thereto, to the top of ring 60 is a frangible transparent inspection closure disc 62. With this arrangement the mere removal of the cap 24 makes it possible to inspect the contents of the container, as has been found very desirable with certain uses and still provides a safety retaining means against a child opening the container. When the contents are to be used the frangible closure 62 if it is in the top rim or closure member is punctured and either torn or cut out and then by hook means the entire ring 60 may be removed then making it a simple matter to pour out the contents of the container. This inspection closure is intended for use only with products that are not sealed under interior pressure and may be employed in either the top or bottom closure member.

It is believed that it will be apparent from the above description and the disclosure in the drawings that the invention comprehends a novel construction of end closure means for containers having tubular bodies.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

A scalable container made of elements permitting a variety of different body lengths to be fabricated to suit the needs of a small processor, comprising: a tubular body cut to length from a tube of thin sheet material; plastic bottom and top closure rims internally engaging said body; each of said rims having an interior surface of substantially cylindrical form; pressure sealing men bers adapted to engage said rims under pressure to effect an air tight sealing of said container; either or both of said closure rims having a shallow annular step adjacent the inner edge of the interior surface of said rim; a ring adapted to seat on said annular step and be secured thereto; and a frangible, transparent inspection closure disc disposed on said ring and fixedly secured to the same around its periphery.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 148,593 Buck Mar. 17, 1874 1,092,464 Watson et a1. Apr. 7, 1914 2,076,132 Rose Apr. 6, 1937 2,204,784 Abrams June 18, 1940 2,349,840 Babbitt May 30, 1944 2,609,955 Moore Sept. 9, 1952 2,611,499 Mayer Sept. 23, 1952 2,688,650 Knopp et al. Sept. 7, 1954 2,828,043 Hosford Mar. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 789,009 Great Britain Jan. 15, 1958 

